Some people cry in chick flicks, some people cry in cheesy feel-good dramas.
I cry in movies where there are martyrs – heroes that die for their faith. I got all emo in Amazing Grace and even Joan of Arc. Not bawling, mind you, just a manly “that hits you right here” kind of sniffling. I sometimes read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs for inspiration.
This week, we watched A Man For All Seasons (1966), and it’s one of my new favorite movies. It won six Oscars and 27 other awards. It’s about Thomas Moore, an assistant to Henry VIII and a lawyer. It’s well acted, and Moore is just a great character. He’s witty and funny and devious. Like so many martyrs of this period in history, he’s beheaded for refusing to take an oath that violates his firm beliefs.
Why do I like movies like this? It’s hard to explain, and I keep typing out things and deleting them. I guess part of it is faith – my martyr heroes “see” God so clearly that they’re willing to face torture and death for the sake of what they know is right, and look forward to things to come. They understand what is worth dying for.
The other part is that I identify with the “truth, no matter what” kind of attitude that usually goes against what everyone else does. Sticking to your guns when everyone deserts and even mocks you. I dig that.
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